ABOUT US

PLANETOPIJA books promote holistic approach to solving issues related to human beings and community, as well as trust in the power of innate growth and development.

HOW WE STARTED
Origins of the Planetopija publishing house can be traced to the Biovega publishing department where the very first book on macrobiotics in the Croatian language - Food for Life by Jadranka Boban Pejić and Zlatko Pejić - was published back in 1995. Along with authors, the book was edited by the first Planetopija's editor-in-chief, Marina Kralj Vidačak, its present manager and spiritus movens.

Food for Life was also the first book in the Makronova book series dedicated to healthy life-styles and holistic medicine - the essence of the Biovega's scope of work and philosophy, as well as the primary interest of its employees. In the period to come, the Biovega publishing department succeeded in expanding the scope of topics, and shortly after Food for Life was published, it establishes another book series, Quantum - pocket books for every occasion. The book series included the best of the Eastern and Western philosophy, psychology, religion and spirituality, and became a trademark of Biovega's publishing efforts that enabled the company to establish itself as a serious and original publisher. Soon after, new book series were initiated covering even wider scope of topics including biographies, exercising, women's health, humour, environmental issues, children's books, etc.

ALWAYS THE FIRST
Apart from being a referent source that reading public and media turn to where books on the holistic approach to health are concerned, we were the first to publish cult books on women's health like Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much, Wisdom of Menopause, Women Who Love Too Much, Women's Reality.

We were the first to publish referential textbooks on ancient Eastern skills that have gained mega-popularity - feng shui and shiatsu massage - in Croatia.

We were the first to publish Nikola Tesla's biography in the Croatian language Tesla: Man Out of Time, which is considered to be the best Tesla's biography so far published in Croatia; the first book on women's orgasm: Satisfaction by Kim Cattrall, an American actress famous for her role in Sex and the City; and we were the first to tackle the issue of transsexuality in the book She's Not There.

The Pilates Body - our biggest hit - is the proof that we are the leaders where introducing global trends in publishing on the Croatian market is concerned.

Our books also marked us as trendsetters: S-Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman was published even before this kind of exercising in fitness and recreational centres in Croatia and Europe was introduced.

The first book for a wide reading audience discussing GMO - Seeds of Deception - is also one of our titles.

BOOKS BY CROATIAN AUTHORS
Being aware of a prevailing unfavourable position of books and literary publishers in Croatia, but determined to fight the odds, in 2004 we have decided to take a risky and financially demanding step: we have started publishing illustrated textbooks in full colour written by Croatian authors. The first fully illustrated book was Exercises for Pregnant Women by an awarded author Snježana Vojvodić-Schuster, and soon we have introduced a series of vegan cookbooks by local authors, Mirisi i okusi Makronove (Scents and Tastes of Makronova). So far we have published 11 cookbooks out of which the absolute bestseller was Grains. Other illustrated titles are Body Technique by a prominent fitness expert Ana-Marija Jagodić Rukavina, The Day That Will Change Your Life by a famous journalist and the screenwrighter Diana Pečkaj Vuković, For Infants and Children by Jadranka Boban Pejić and Tijelo i pokret Makronove (Body and Movement by Makronova) book series.

GUESTS, FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS
We are proud to have been hosts of respected authors that have become our dear friends. Among them are Michio Kushi, the founder and teacher of modern macrobiotics, William Spear, a teacher of macrobiotics and feng shui master, Shizuko Yamamoto, a shiatsu practitioner, Jeffrey Smith, a publicist, dr. Marilyn Glenville, a British nutritionist and author, Aine McAteer, a 'celebrity chef', Stuart Sim, a British author and theoretician, dr. Anne Wilson Schaef, an internationally recognized psychotherapist specialized in the theory of feminism, psychology and self-healing, and many others.

Our activities were also supported by public personalities like Mia Begović, an actress, Sandra Bagarić, an opera singer, Blaženka Leib, a TV host, Ivana Šundov, Helga Vlahović Brnobić, Jelena Buljan and Suzana Pardačar, and Krsto Papić, a film director... and the list goes on and on.

We are proud to have associates like well known photographers Slavica Subotić MacCormick and Dag Šola Oršić.           

QUALITY AS A PRIMARY GOAL
A number of our books have been awarded or recognized for their quality. In 2004 the British Academy of Science has awarded A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson with the Aventis Prize for science. The same year, Recipes to Nurture, a cookbook by Aine McAteer was awarded with the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook award for the best healthy cookbook in the world. At the end of the same year Jutarnji list calls our Dragonology, a children's book, the most beautiful book in Croatia. In 2005, Egyptology was awarded with the British Design and Production Award. Operation Red Jericho was awarded with the British Book Award for 2006, while book reviewers call it 'Da Vinci Code for teenagers'. In 2007, Summer, a cookbook by Jadranka Boban Pejić, was nominated for the Gourmand World Cookbook Award.


NEW ERA - INDEPENDENCE
The beginning of 2006 is marked by an establishment of the Biovega publishing department into an independent publishing house Planetopija Ltd. with 11 employees.

As a crown to our work we have opened a bookstore with which a new era has commenced. While remaining faithful to our mission, our aim is to travel roads less travelled and to introduce new, intriguing and avant-garde topics.

BOOKSTORE
Our bookstore is a home of mind, body and spirit. It is a place where one can find all recent editions covering topics like self-development, global development, holistic approaches to health, environmental protection, spirituality, culture of living and the most beautiful children's books. In a cosy space of 20 square meters we have managed to exhibit more than 200 titles. Our mission is to attend to our customer's wishes as much as possible and in that sense we are promoting a new culture of book trade marked by close and direct contact with customers. That means that in our bookstore one can find out more about topics of interest, the most recent editions, trends; one can receive recommendations, and experience the quest for a book as a real pleasure. We would also like to enable you to buy any book that you are looking for, even if we would have to order it especially for you. We would like our bookstore to become "a bookstore where they know you".

ON-LINE BOOKSTORE
Since September 2007 you can buy all books in the Croatian and English language that are on offer by visiting our on-line bookstore on: www.planetopija.hr.

All editions of Planetopija are available with a 10% discount, so do not miss the opportunity of buying books from your living room. The on-line bookstore also offers other benefits like purchasing and delivering books as a gift with a greeting card to a designated address.